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Arabic and Islamic themes in Frank Herbert's "Dune"

Submitted by Khalid on Thu, 2004/01/22 - 18:59

Those who are familiar with Frank Herbert's famous novel Dune will notice his analogy for the spice, and the surrounding struggle for it, with the crude oil of the Middle East. The novel is symbolic about the dependence of the West on the oil, and the power struggles to control this valuable resource.

But what is not so obvious to the average Western reader, is the sheer quantity of terms that Herbert borrowed from Arabic and Islamic culture, old and new, and incorporated them into his novels.

My first introduction to the Dune Universe was through the 1992 game: Dune II: The Building Of a Dynasty, sometime in 1993 or thereabouts. Later in 2000, I watched teh miniseries on TV, and rented the 1984 David Lynch movie. Much later, in 2017 or so, I watched a documentary about Alejandro Jodorowsky's attempt to make Dune into a movie, which never came to fruition, but was visionary for its time.

In this article, I try to explain in detail where Frank Herbert got his names, concepts, and words from. This article is not meant to be a literary nor an exhaustive topical critique of the novels, which I am cannot fully do, because simply, I did not read the original novels. I have watched and enjoyed the movie and the mini-series, and read summaries of the novels. Instead, this article is a linguistic and etymological study of the major aspects of Dune as they pertain to Middle East, Arabic, and Islam.

I should note here that not everything in Dune is derived from Arabic or is of Islamic origin. There are other influences for sure. For example, Atreides is directly taken from Homer's Iliad, and is hence of Greek mythological origin. Vladimir is a Slavic name, and common in Russia, which was the Evil Empire during the Cold War era. The terms Tleilaxu and Axolotl seem to be from Meso-American origin (Aztec?). The Kwisatz Haderach is a Hebrew term. Also names such as Vladimir and Atreides are from Slavic and Ancient Greek cultures. Although these and others have different origin, it can be conceded that Islamic and Arabic themes are the ones that Frank Herbert used the most in his Dune series.

Also, Dune is not the only example of Islam and Arab culture in Western Sci Fi. Other examples of Islam in Sci Fi Literature are collected by Muhammad Aurangazeb Ahmed.

Introduction

For those who are unfamiliar with the novels or the movie or the mini-series, here is a quick briefing of the setting: On the planet Arrakis, there is a very precious commodity, called Melange, or the spice. This commodity is only found on this desert inhospitable planet. The spice is necessary for intergalactic space travel. The powerful merchant guild requires it. An emperor controls the mining of the spice through two warring houses, the Atreides and the Harkonen. The native inhabitants of the planet are the Fremen, tribal desert nomadic people who know how to survive there. The emperor sides with the Harkonen against the Atreides, and Duke Leto Atreides, Paul's father is assassinated. Paul is exiled, then works up an alliance with the Fremen, and becomes their leader. He then leads the resistance movement against the Harkonen and the emperor, reclaiming his family's heritage as just rulers. There are many other details that I skimmed over (e.g. the worm, Shai Hulud, ...etc.)

Resources

Those who want to read more on Frank Herbert and/or his Dune novels can peruse the following links:

Islamic and Arabic Themes in Dune

What is not well known are the various Islamic undertones, and Arabic etymologies that Frank Herbert put in Dune. The purpose of this article is to try to list these themes, and trace them back to whatever Islamic concept there is (if any).

The following list is derived from the above linked Lexicon, with some of my own addition. I try to explain what the term means in Herbert's novel, and what possible Arabic or Islamic terms it was derived from, and their original meaning.

As per the request of a visitor, I added the possible Arabic origin, in Arabic text next to each title.

Term

Arabic Etymology

Comments

ABA

عبا

Loose robe worn by Fremen women: usually black. The term seems to be a direct derivation from the modern day term: "Abaya" عباية, which has been the Muslim female dress for centuries. The original term عبا or عباء is how it is referred to in the classical Arabic sources.

ADAB

أدب

The demanding memory that comes upon you of itself. In Arabic, Adab means "manners" and also "literature".

ALIA

عالية or علية

Alia is the name of Paul's little sister. Alia was the name of one of the many queens of Jordan under King Hussein. The name is the feminine form of "High above". Note that Tim O'Reilly states that Alia was a member of the prophet's family. He seems to mean Ali (masculine). Either he is mistaken, or Herbert was confused. Or perhaps Herbert meant it as word play.

AL-LAT

اللات

Mankind's original sun; by usage: any planet's primary. Al-Lat was a principle pre-Islamic goddess, equated with the Greek Venus.

ALAM AL-MITHAL

عالم المثال

The mystical world of similitudes where all physical limitations are removed. The term seems to be derived from mystic Sufi traditions. In Arabic it means "World of Similitudes".

AMTAL or AMTAL RULE

أمثال

A common rule an primitive worlds under which something is tested to determine its limits or defects. Commonly: testing to destruction. This could be derived from أمثال (Amthal) which in Arabic means "Proverbs", among other things.

AQL

عقل

The test of reason. Originally, the 'Seven Mystic Questions' beginning: 'Who is it that thinks ?' The Arabic word means many things, such as "mind", "logic", "reason".

ARRAKIS

الراقص

The planet known as Dune; third planet of Canopus. It seems to be derived from the Arabic word for "dancer", which derives from Raqs رقص with "the" prepended, making it ar-rakis الراقص. It seems that Herbert got the name from the star (not planet) Mu Draconis, which means a trotting camel, as well as dancer (masculine form).

AULIYA

أولياء

In the Zensunni Wanderer's religion, the female at the left hand of God: God's handmaiden. In Arabic, Auliya أولياء is the plural for Wali ولي which means 'an ally', and in some Islamic traditions means 'an ally of god', roughly translating to 'saint'.

AXOLOTL

-

Axolotl tanks are used by the Tleilaxu to breed Gholas. The name is for a salamanger, and is from the Aztec Nahuatl language, from "atl" meaning water, and "xolotl" meaning dog. It also derives its name from the Aztec God of Death Xolotl, who - according to myth - assumed the amphibian's form in an effort to escape exile, and was killed while such. See the Axolotl article in Wikipedia.

AYAT

آيات

The signs of life. This is the same meaning in Arabic, and used in the Quran often.

BAKKA

بكاء

In fremen legend, the weeper who mourns for all mankind. In Arabic, this means someone who weeps often, and in early Islam, it referred to those who cried out of piety, and fear/respect of God.

BAKLAWA

بقلاوة

Heavy pastry made with date syrup. In the modern Middle East, there is a pastry that is made with syrup, but only with sugar (no dates involved). It is made as far north as Turkey, the Levant, Egypt, and the Arabian peninsula.

BARAKA

بركة

A living holy man of magical powers. In Arabic, this word means 'blessings'. It can be used as an adjective for people who are pious, considered blessed, or can bestow blessings on others.

BASHAR

بشار

(Often Colonel Bashar): an officer of the Sardaukar a fractional point above Colonel in the standardized military classification. Rank created for military ruler of a planetary sub-district (Bashar of the Corps is a title reserved strictly for military use.) Also, one character in Chapterhouse Dune is Bashar Miles Teg. Bashar is an ancient Arab name that was in use at least since the first Hegira century. It is still in use today (e.g. Bashar is the first name of the current Syrian President).

BENE GESSERIT

بني جزيرة

The witch sisterhood, or class that Paul's mother belonged to are called Bene Gesserit. The phrase in Arabic means "Sons of the Island/Peninsula". The Arabian peninsula is often called "Al Jazirah" (The Peninsula). Also, the term "Beni" can mean descent from, or a village/town originally inhabited by a tribe/clan. However, an alternative explanation is possible, that the origin is Latin, and means "he/she will do well", or "it will have been well borne". Perhaps Herbert was playing with words, and intended dual meaning here, although I doubt it, since the Bene Tleilaxu share the same prefix "Bene", but seems to be inspired by Central and South American history.

BI-LA KAIFA

بلا كيف

Amen. (Literally: 'Nothing further need be explained.'). In Islamic theological discourse, it refers to an ancient dispute on the attributes of God (e.g. face, hand, ...etc.), and how different groups interpreted them. The traditionalists chose to accept them as is, 'without how'. The rationalists (e.g. Mu'tazili) chose to interpret them allegorically. The phrase Bi-La Kaifa means "without a how". This term is not used often in modern times, except in theological circles. It is amazing that Frank Herbert would be exposed to this term, and make use of it.

BLED

بلاد

flat, open desert. Could be derived from بلاد (Belad), meaning "countries".

BOURKA

برقع

Insulated mantle worn by Fremen in the open desert. In classical Arabic, Burqu' is any face cover, whether used for males or females, or even on animals (e.g. in some battles, the Persians used elephants. The Arabs used face covers on the camels so they would not be startled by them). In modern times it refers to women's dress. In Egypt, the Burqu' used to refer to a face mask wore by women when they are out in public. In other countries, such as Afghanistan (spelled Burqa in English), it refers to an all covering dress for women, with a net like area for sight.

BURHAN

برهان

The proofs of life. (Commonly: the ayat and burhan of life.) In Arabic, Burhan is 'proof', and was used by logicians and philosophers in dialectical debates to mean just that.

CAID

قائد

Sardaukar officer rank given to a military official whose duties call mostly for dealings with civilians; a military governorship over a full planetary district; above the rank of Bashar but not equal to a Burseg. The Arabic word means "commander" or "chief".

CRYSKNIFE

-

The sacred knife of the Fremen on Arrakis. It is manufactured in two forms from teeth taken from dead sandwolms. The two forms am 'fixed' and 'unfixed.' An unfixed knife requires proximity to a human body's electrical field to prevent disintegration. Fixed knives are treated for storage. All are about 20 centimetres long. In Malaysia, there is a ceremonial dagger called Krys with a wavy blade.

DAR AL-HIKMAN

دار الحكمة

School of religious translation or interpretation. In the 9th century, the Abbasid Caliph, al-Mamun established an academy for translation, and teaching and called it Dar al-Hikma, meaning House of Wisdom.

EL-SAYAL

السيال

The 'rain of sand.' A fall of dust which has been carried to medium altitude (around 2,000 metres) by a coriolis storm. El-sayals frequently bring moisture to ground level. The preposition "El" in Arabic means "The". Sayal is derived from the root, "to flow"

ERG

عرق

An extensive dune area, a sea of sand. In the Arab peninsula dialects, the ق letter is pronounced as a G (like in Game). The meaning is the same, and the plural is عروق.

FAI

فئ

The water tribute, a kind of tax. In Muslim law, فئ means land revenue from agriculture.

FEDAYKIN

فدائيين

Fremen death commandos: historically: a group formed and pledged to give their lives to right a wrong. They are special strike forces of the Fremen under the command of Paul Atrides. They are kind of kamikaze like force who know they can sacrifice themselves in their mission. I think this term is taken from the Arabic "Feda'yin", which in the 1960s was used for the Palestinian guerillas. The same term was used for Saddam Hussein's special guerilla type forces.
Note that the "k" is not the correct sound here, but rather the Arabic "hamza". Certain cultures do transform the hamza to a "k", at least when written, for example, in Indonesia, Mu'min (believer, faithful) can be written as Mukmin. Could this be another clue of where Frank Herbert got his terms from?

FIQH

فقه

Knowledge, religious law; one of the half-legendary origins of the Zensunni Wanderers' religion. The term is a purely Islamic one. It originated from "understanding".

FREMEN

-

The Fremen were modeled by Herbert after desert nomad warriors. This is evident in their tribalism, knowledge of the desert, code of honor, and more.

GHAFLA

غفلة

Giving oneself up to gadfly distractions. Thus: a changeable person, one not to be trusted. In Arabic, it means lack of alertness.

GHANIMA

غنيمة

something acquired in battle or single combat. Commonly, a memento of combat kept only to stir the memory. Ghanima in Arabic comes from the root GH-N-M, which means "to win", "to gain". Many Arabic proper names use this root, as in "Ghanem", "Ghannaam". If pronounced with a long "i" vowel, Ghanima could mean war booty. With a short "i" sound, it would mean "one who gained".

GHOLA

غول

These are manufactured clones of other people using genetic engineering techniques by the Bene Tleilaxu. The word seems to be derived from the Arabic mythical creature "ghoul" غول.

GOM JABBAR

جبار

The high-handed enemy; that specific poison needle tipped with meta-cyanide used by Bene Gesserit Proctors in the death-alternative test of human awareness. The Bene Gesserit witch threatens Paul with, when he is put to the test. Also, Alia uses a Gom Jabbar to kill her grandfather, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. "Jabar" could be a variation of "Jabbar" جبّار, which in Arabic means "mighty" or "powerful", and in the form "Al Jabbar" is a name of God.

GHUFRAN

غفران

In the Tleilaxu culture members must be "cleansed" of all communicable sins and ideas after contact with non-believers (powindah). Ghufran designates a rite of purification. Ghufran is definitely Arabic. It means "forgivness" or "absolution". If a Muslim commits a sin, he asks for forgiveness from God, which can be called Ghufran (there are other terms, such as Tawbah توبة, ...etc.) One of God's name in Islam is "Al Ghafur الغفور" (The Forgiver). It is interesting that the term Sukuk Al Ghufran صكوك الغفران is the Arabic name for the Papal Indulgences in the 1500s whereby the pope "sold" absolution certificates for money to the rich.

HABBANYA ERG

الحبانية

A place name that Paul refers to. Habbaneyya is the name of a real district in Baghdad, Iraq.

HAJJ

حج

Holy journey. In Islam, this exact term refers to a religious obligation on every Muslim who is physically and financially able to visit Mecca once in his lifetime, and participate in the rituals with millions of other Muslims.

HAJRA

هجرة

Journey of seeking for the ZenSunni. In Arabic, Hijra it means immigration. In Islam, it refers specifically to the incident when prophet Muhammad immigrated from oppression in his native Mecca north to Madina. It marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar.

HAL YAWM

ها اليوم

'Now! At last!' A Fremen exclamation. This term is used in many Arab countries today to mean "today".

HARJ

هرج

Desert journey, migration. In Arabic, this term means "confusion", referring to people running around aimlessly when a disaster strikes.

IBAD, EYES OF

عباد

Characteristic effect of a diet high in melange wherein the whites and pupils of the eyes turn a deep blue (indicative of deep melange addiction). Ibad could be derived from the Arabic word عباد which is plural for عبد meaning slave, or just person.

IBN QIRTAIBA

إبن قرتيبة

"Thus go the holy words..." Formal beginning to Fremen religious incantation (derived from panoplia propheticus). Ibn means "son of", so this could refer to a person who is the son of another person called Qirtaiba, author of these texts. Qirtaiba could derive from قتيبة a known author, or قرطبة referring to Cordova. Many authors in Arabic and Islamic matters hailed from this city, and had the title قرطبي or Qurtubi.

ICHWAN BEDWINE

إخوان بدو

The brotherhood of all Fremen on Arrakis. Ikhwan means brotherhood, and has been used in ancient times, such as Ikhwan al-Safa إخوان الصفا and in modern times as well, such as the Muslim Brotherhood political organization الإخوان المسلمون. Bedwine could be derived from Bedouin or بدويين meaning just that.

IJAZ

إعجاز

Prophecy that by its very nature cannot be denied; immutable prophecy. The Arabic term refers to a miraclous thing that cannot be immitated by a non-prophet.

ILM

علم

Theology; science of religious tradition, one of the halflegendary origins of the Zensunni Wanderers' faith. The Arabic word means "science" and "knowledge".

ISTISLAH

إستصلاح

A rule for the general welfare; usually a preface to brutal necessity. The word is used in modern Arabic (specifically Egypt) to mean land reclamation. It could also mean reform.

JIHAD

جهاد

In Dune, Jihad is described as Holy War. The contemporary stereotype of Jihad in Western media conjures images of planes crashing in buildings, or young men in suicide bombing missions. However, in Dune, Jihad is given more of a realistic meaning: struggle for justice against oppression, a fight against evil by the masses, even by rebellion or armed resistance. The Harkonen and the Emperor's Sardukar are seen as oppressors, and the Fremen (especially the Fedaykin), use armed resistance against them. This is labelled by Frank Herbert as Jihad, and is very close to the real meaning ofthe concept.

JUBBA CLOAK

جبة

The all-purpose cloak (it can he set to reflect or admit radiant heat, converts to a hammock or shelter) commonly worn over a stillsuit on Arrakis. In Arabic it refers to a flowing robe type of clothing, worn in many countries, such as Egypt, specially by graduates of Al Azhar university.

KARAMA

كرامة

A miracle; an action initiated by the spirit world. In Islam, it refers to a semi-miraclous act performed by a pious person who is not a prophet. If a prophet is involved, then it is a miracle.

KHALA

خلاء

Traditional invocation to still the angry spirits of a place whose name you mention. In Arabic, this word refers to empty spaces, void, ...etc.

KINDJAL

خنجر

Double-bladed short sword (or long knife) with about 20 centimetres of slightly curved blade. The term in Arabic means dagger, but spelled as Khinjar. The Kindjal spelling is used in the Indian subcontinent to refer to some types of short swords.

KHASADAR

خاصة دار

Quote : "The khasadars who policed all Tleilaxu frontiers and guarded the selamliks of the women". Khasadar seems like derived from Turkish. The suffix -dar means "in charge of ..." or "of the occupation ...". For example Selahdar سلاحدار means in charge of arms, khazendar خازندار means in charge of treasury, ....etc. Khasa خاصة means "private" in Arabic, so Khasdar means "in charge of privacy", alluding to "in charge of women in the family".

Selamlik is actually the men's quarters in Turkish/Ottoman cutlure and those affected by it. Selam is Turkish for Salam (سلام Peace, which is the Islamic greeting and Arabic word), and -lik is a suffix in Turkish meaning "of ...". The women's quarters would be called Haramlik, were the word Harem in Western languages were derived.

There are palaces in Egypt that still have the name Salamlek and Haramlek derived from the ex-Royal family (who were of Turkish culture, but Albanian ancestry).

KISWA

كسوة

Any figure or design from Fremen mythology. The Arabic word could refer to كسوة (kiswa) meaning "cover", referring to clothing for children, or covering for a religious building. It could also be derived from قصة (qissa) meaning story.

KITAB AL-IBAR

كتاب العبر

The combined survival handbook-religious manual developed by the Fremen on Arrakis. Kitab means book. Ibar means stories with a moral meaning.

KULL WAHAD!

كل واحد

"I am profoundly stirred!" A sincere exclamation of surprise common in the Imperium. Strict interpretation depends on context. (It is said of Muad'Dib that once he watched a desert hawk chick emerge from its shell and whispered: 'Kull wahad!'). The literal Arabic meaning means "every one".

KWISATZ HADERACH

قفزة الطريق

'Shortening of the Way.' This is the label applied by the Bene Gesserit to the unknown for which they sought a genetic solution: a male Bene Gesserit whose organic mental powers would bridge space and time. Paul Atrides says that he is the Kwisatz Haderach, a super being. Several visitors to this site indicated that this term means "shortening of the way" in Hebrew, with possibly Kabbalistic roots, from "Kfitsat or Kfitzat Haderch". Kfitz means "jump", as in the Arabic root Q-F-Z قفز. So it would be قفزة الطريق in Arabic.

LA, LA, LA

لا لا لا

Fremen cry of grief. (La translates as ultimate denial, a 'no' from which you cannot appeal.) The Arabic word لا (La) means 'no'.

LASHKAR

عسكر

From Heretics of Dune : "Every time he left the inner worlds of the Bene Tleilax, Waff felt himself to be on lashkar, a war party seeking that ultimate revenge which his people named secretly as Bodal". Lashkar is a corruption of an Arabic word "Al 'Askar العسكر" meaning "the soldiers" or "a group of soldiers", and came to mean "army". It is corrupted in Hindi/Urdu to Lashkar. Here is a dictionary entry on etymology of Lashkar. Also compare to Laskhar-e-Toiba that came to media attention in Kashmir in recent years.

LIBAN

لبان

Fremen liban is spice water infused with yucca flour. Originally a sour milk drink. In Arabic, Liban is a gum from a certain tree that has aromatic and medicinal qualities.

LISAN AL-GAIB

لسان الغيب

"The Voice from the Outer World." In Fremen messianic legends, an off-world prophet. The term in Arabic is composed of two words. Lisan means literally "Tongue", and means "speaker". Ghaib (a more phonetic version of Gaib) means "Unknown" or "that which is not revealed", or "things that will come in the future, unknown to us know". One of the basic tenets of the Muslim faith, is the belief that God alone knows what is hidden in the future.

MAHDI

مهدي

in the Fremen messianic legend, 'The One Who Will Lead Us to Paradise.' Paul Atreides, the central figure in the Dune novel is the son of the murdered Duke, he is exiled with his mother, manages to escape, and after a confrontation with the Fremen, gains their respect, and becomes their leader in their struggle against the evil Harkonen. He is called the Mahdi. In Islam, the Mahdi ("The Rightly Guided One") is an all human Messianic figure, who comes to "fill the world with justice" after much of the opposite. The views of Sunni Islam differ quite a bit from Shia Islam on this, but they both at least agree on this part. Mahdi si a much more central figure in Shia Islam than it is in Sunni Islam, where the concept is often denied and attributed to legends and myths.

MAULA

مولي

Slave.

MIHNA

محنة

The season for testing Fremen youths who wish admittance to manhood. In Arabic it means "test" or "ordeal".

MISH-MISH

مشمش

Apricots.

MISR

مصر

The historical Zensunni (Fremen) term for themselves: 'The People.' The Arabic word means "Egypt", as well as "country", "land".

MU ZEIN WALLAH!

مو زين و الله

In this traditional opening for a Fremen curse against an enemy, Wallah turns the emphasis back upon the words Mu zein, producing the meaning: 'Nothing good, never good, good for nothing.' In Arabic, Mu zein literally means 'not good,' and wallah is a reflexive terminal exclamation, meaning "I swear by Allah". This term is used in slang modern day Arabic in some countries (Arabia and the Levant).

MUAD'DIB

مؤدب

The nickname that Paul chooses in the story is Muad'dib, and is the name of the desert mouse who comes at night in the moon light. Stilgar, the Fremen tribe leader says "Teacher of Boys". The Arabic term (Mu'adib), means "private tutor" or "teacher". It used to be that the Caliphs, the rulers of the Muslim world, would hire one or more Mu'adibs to teach their children various subjects. The practice seemed to be common for other strata of society as well. Although the English pronounciation of this word calls for a long "i", the Arabic word sounds like a short "e".

MUDIR NAHYA

مدير ناحية

The Fremen name for Beast Rabban. The name is often translated as 'Demon Ruler.' The term Mudir in modern Arabic means "manager", and is possibly derived from Turkish, and Nahya means district or place. The term is still in use verbatim in modern Iraq.

MUSHTAMAL

مشتمل

A small garden annex or garden courtyard. The Arabic terms means complex or compound.

NAIB

نايب

Paul meets with representatives of Fremen tribes. They are called Naibs. They are ones who have sworn never to be taken alive by the enemy; making that the traditional oath of a Fremen leader. This is an Arabic word نايب meaning deputy. The word is used today for members of parliament in Arab countries.

ONSAR AKHAKA ZELIMAN AW MASLUMEN!

أنصر اخاك ظالما او مظلوما

Better transliteration would be: Unsur Akhaka Zaliman Aw Mazlooman. In Children of Dune, Lady Jessica quotes this when a Fremen complains about the changing ecology of their planet, against her own daughter Aliya. The original is a saying of prophet Muhammad, meaning "Support your brother whether he is a oppressor or oppressed". When his companions say: we know how to support him when he is oppressed, what about when he is an oppresser? He replies: by stopping his oppression.

NAYLA

نائلة

Nayla is the name of one of the female Fish Speakers body guard of the God Emperor Leto II. The name is an ancient Arab female name, and also the name of a pre-Islamic Goddess in Arabia. In contemporary Arabic societies, both the masculine نائل and the feminine نائلة names are used, with the ئ sound made into a ي sound, and hence identical to the Nayla name.

OTHEYM

عثيم

This is the name of one of the Naibs. His name is derived from an ancient Arabic name, عثمان, a companion and third successor to prophet Muhammad, in its diminutive form.

PADISHAH

بادشاه

Emperor Shaddam IV has the title of Padishah. Both the Ottoman Sultan of Turkey, and the Shah of Iran used to have the Persian title Padishah, which means : "Chief ruler; monarch; sovereign".

PORTYGULS

برتقال

Oranges. In Arabic, oranges are known as "bortoqal". The name is derived from the ancient name of the country of Portugal which was Roman for Porto Callis.

POWINDAH

-

The Tleilax culture calls strangers Powindah. The name is derived from what Afghan unsettled nomads are called

QANAT

قناة

In Children of Dune, Qanat is an open canal for carrying irrigation water under controlled conditions through the desert. The is the same as the Arabic word meaning "Canal", e.g. as in Suez Canal قناة السويس. The origin of the word Qanat in Arabic is the straight shaft of a spear.

Ancient religious period marked by fasting and prayer; traditionally, the ninth month of the solar-lunar calendar. Fremen mark the observance according to the ninth meridian-crossing cycle of the first moon. In the Muslim Lunar calendar, the ninth month is the month of fasting by the name Ramadan.

RAZZIA

A semipiratical guerrilla raid. I have seen that term used to refer to the early Muslim battles in modern discourse. The word is said to have Arabic roots, from Ghazwa غزوة meaning a small scale military campaign or battle. In modern Italian, the meaning is "warrior expedition in strange territory for plunder" (thanks to Marco Calvani).

RUH-SPIRIT

روح

In Fremen belief, that part of the individual which is always rooted in (and capable of sensing) the metaphysical world. The word Ruh means soul or spirit in Arabic.

SARFA

صرفة

The act of turning away from God. The term is Arabic for "leaving" or "abandoning".

SAYYADINA

سيدنا

Feminine acolyte in the Fremen religious hierarchy. The title given to Paul's mother among the Fremen is "Sayyedina". It is said to mean "the friend of God". This is clearly derived from "Sayyed سيد", meaning "master" in Arabic, and a title bestowed on various classes of people, from noble descent, to religious clerics, to the so-called saints and holy men. The term as used in the novel is more masculine though!

SELAMLIK

سلامليك

Imperial audience chamber. The term was used for the part in a palace that can be frequented by visitors. It was used in Turkey and Egypt. The word seems to be Turkish in origin.

SHAH-NAMA

شاه نامة

The half-legendary First Book of the Zensunni Wanderers. There are real chronicle books by that name about the lives and deeds of Persian kings, most famously, that of al-Firdawsi.

SHAI-HULUD

شئ خلود

Sandworm of Arrakis, the 'Old Man of the Desert','Old Father Eternity' and 'Grandfather of the Desert.' Significantly, this name, when referred to in a certain tone or written with capital letters, designates the earth deity of Fremen hearth superstitions. Sandworms grow to enormous size (specimens longer than 400 metres have been seen in the deep desert) and live to great age unless slain by one of their fellows or drowned in water, which is poisonous to them. Most of the sand on Arrakis is credited to sandworm action. In Arabic, the name can be split into "Shai" ("thing") and "Hulud" ("eternal" or "eternity").

SHAITAN

شيطان

In Heretics of Dune, Sheeana insists on calling the sandworms Shaitan. This is the Arabic word for "Satan" or "The Devil". It is also borrowed by Hindi for the same meaning.

SHARIA

شريعة

That part of the panoplia propheticus which sets forth the superstitious ritual. In Islam, this refers to religious laws.

SIETCH

سيق

Fremen:'Place of assembly in time of danger.' Because the Fremen lived so long in peril, the term came by general usage to designate any cave warreninhabited by one of their tribal communities. It is worth noting the similarity between Sietch and "Seeq", which is one of the Arabic names of the ancient desert town of Petra, accessible only via a narrow passage. Notice the similarities in the structure, and the name.

SIHAYA

سياحة - صحة

Fremen: the desert springtime with religious overtones implying the time of fruitfulness and 'the paradise to come.' The term seems to be Arabic in origin, although it is had to say. It could be سياحة siyaha (wandering, tourism), or صحة (health)

SIRAT

صراط

The passage in the O.C. Bible that describes human life as a journey across a narrow bridge (the Sirat) with 'Paradise on my right, Hell on my left, and the Angel of Death behind.' The term Sirat in Islam refers to a passage between Hell and Paradise that people would have to pass on the day of Judgement. The concept is not exclusive to Islam, it is found in Zoroaster's teaching as well.

SOO-SOO SOOK!

سوق

Water-seller's cry on Arrakis. Although the Arabic word for marketplace is "Suk" or "Sook", the origin of this phrase is most probably Turkish. Street vendors there will shout "Su, soğuk su", meaning "Water! Cold water". Others will shout 'Suyu', meaning drink or juice. Thanks for Sven Holmstrom from Sweden for his blog entry, and message on this.

SUBAKH UL KUHAR

صباح الخير

'Are you well?' a Fremen greeting. In modern Egypt, this is the morning greeting, meaning: "Morning of good things". Its correct spelling should be "Sabah El Kheir".

SUBAKH UN NAR

صباح النور

'I am well. And you?' traditional reply. In modern Egypt, this is the reply to a greeting, meaning: "Morning of light". Its correct spelling should be : "Sabah El Nour"

TAHADDI AL-BURHAN

تحدي البرهان

An ultimate test from which there can be no appeal (usually because it brings death or destruction). In Arabic this means: "Challenge of the Proof".

TAHADDI CHALLENGE

تحدي

Fremen challenge to mortal combat, usually to test some primal issue. The word Tahaddi is Arabic for challenge.

TAQWA

تقوى

Literally: 'The price of freedom.'.Something of great value. That which a diety demands of a mortal (and the fear provoked by the demand). In Arabic and Islam it means : piety.

THUFIR HAWAT

ظفير حواط

The name could have Arabic roots. Thufar ظفار is a place in Yemen. It could be from ظافر Thafir which means "victorious". Hawat can be حواط or of similar etymology.

ULEMA

علماء

A Zensunni doctor of theology. The Arabic word is plural meaning "scientists", as well as knowledgable people, in both matters of religion and in worldly affairs. Singular is ALEM عالم.

UMMA

أمّة

One of the brotherhood of prophets. (A term of scorn in the imperium, meaning any 'wild' person given to fanatical prediction.) In Arabic, this term means "nation" or "peoples".

USUL

أصول

Fremen: 'The base of the pillar.' This is the name given to Paul by the Fremem Chieftain Stilgar. The Arabic root A-S-L أصل means "base". Usul is the plural, and is used for "basis", "principles", "methods" as well, like in Usul Al Fiqh أصول الفقه which is the science of principles of jurisprudence.

WALI

ولي

An untried Fremen youth. In Arabic this is the singular for Auliya (see above).

YA HYA CHOUHADA

يحيا (يا حي) الشهداء

In Children of Dune, Lady Jessica declares this call to a Fremen leader. It means 'Long live the Fighters!', the Fedaykin battle cry. Ya (now) in this cry is augmented by the hya form (the ever-extended now). Chouhada in Dune is fighters, and carries the added meaning of those who died fighting against injustice. This is a straight borrowing from Islam in Arabic, Chouhada (or Shuhada) meaning martyrs.

YA! YA! YAWM!

يا يا يوم

Fremen chanting cadence used in time of deep ritual significance. Ya carries the root meaning of 'Now pay attention!' The yawm form is a modifiedterm calling for urgent immediacy. The chant is usually translated as'Now, hear this!' In Arabic, Ya is a preposition before calling someone, like "Hey John" in English. Yawm is "day". Ya Yawm can mean "Oh, what a day!"

ZENSUNNI

سني

Combination of two concepts, Zen, and Sunni سني, which is the larger sect in Islam (about 90%). In Dune, followers of a schismatic sect that broke away from the teachings of Maometh (the so-called 'Third Muhammed') about 1381 B.G. The Zensunni religion is noted chiefly for its emphasis on The mystical and a reversion to'the ways of the fathers.' Most scholars name Ah Ben Ohashi as leader of the original schism but there is some evidence that Ohashi may have been merely the male spokesman for his second wife, Nisai.

Concubines and Polygamy

The ancient Semitic practice of concubines is used in the novel. Duke Leito Atrides has Jessica as a concubine, and Paul also has Shani as a concubine. Moreover, Paul marries Princess Irulan in addition to Shani as well.

Costumes

Alia, Paul's younger sister is dressed in a head cover that is almost identical to the modern Hijab/Head scarf worn by Muslim women. In one scene, Shani wears an all covering veil reminiscent of what some Islamic societies usage to this day (e.g. Arabia).

Caladan

Heath Sias, a visitor to this page, pointed out that Caladan, the original planet where the Atreides are from, may be taken from Kaledan, the legendary island where the Grimm brothers put Omar and Sheherazade in.

Heath further says:

It is interesting to note the similarities between the planet Caladan and the island Kaledan. Both are the names of their respective water-bound 'worlds', yet both stories take place in an unnamed castle within that 'world', located near a shoreline. There are also striking similarities between the characters of Paul Atreides and Prince Omar. Both are princes in their own right, coming of age, intelligent, and questioning. Both grow up in very similar environments and both then leave their homeland for a far-off world where they find true love (and a bit more in Paul's case).

I find myself intrigued. Was Frank Herbert's liberal use of historical, religious, and mythological reference purely intentional or the natural result of a well-cultured subconscious and a Shakespearean sense of plot device? I suppose, as you put it, "The final say is with Frank Herbert himself."

The inspiration of the Grimm brothers is clearly from the Arabian Nights, but this particular tale and this place is not mentioned in the Arabian Nights, and therefore, I cannot tell what the Arabic origin is. Perhaps Frank Herbert was exposed to this tale as a youngster, and this is where he got the Caladan metaphor from.

Plagiarism

This article has been plagiarised by some person in Utah's Indy Media web site. The URL is http://utah.indymedia.org/news/2004/05/8709.php. It was published on Monday May 31, 2004 at 11:23 PM. S/he even did a shameless copy/paste and left the original headings in there, like so:

Discussions on the web of this article

This page got on Google shortly after it was published here. Soon after, people started reading it and discussing it. Some have translated it too, as above. Here are some pages around the web that discussed this article:

Conclusion

Dune is the most prominent example of how Islam and Arab cultures are used in Western Sci-Fi books. As a closing note, it seems that Frank Herbert was familiar with the Middle Eastern cultures, and the religion of Islam. Most of the terminology he used is not in its proper place. This may be due to him not being thoroughly familiar with it, or due to poetic license and adaptation to suit his novel. I would also guess that he was exposed to Shia Islam, where the term Mahdi has much more weight than in Sunni Islam. One cannot rule out Sufi influence as well. Arabic terms are used in many places as well.

Please note that some of the above is not conclusive. It is mostly based on etymological analysis, and word/root similarities. The final say is with Frank Herbert himself, and since he is dead, we cannot know for sure what every word meant in his mind.

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Comments

Frank Herbert's "Dune" is nothing more or less but a vision of a human world that never went through the Enlightenment! and also perhaps one where Islamic Civilization wasn't mortally wounded by the Khanate invasion and the Crusades.

Herbert's "Chrislam" is exactly and precisely what Henry Corbin was spent his life articulating, the 'Harmonica Abrahamica' that would 'fix' Christianity through Hermeneutic (ta'wil) and realign it to its fundamental values and philosophical orientation that it lost after the medieval era. ( Under the 'Harmonica Abrahamica' Judaism, Christianity and Islam fuse by returning to the underlying core values they share. The very term "Islam" is actually recent, it was of course originally only called 'Din' or 'true religion, religion of Abraham'.) This of course would have a tremendous impact on the course of technology, forcing a shift to the development of Imaginal capacity in humans versus machine control systems. The 'Al-am Al-Mithal' term used by Herbert is in fact the Sufi term for the active imaginative capacity of the Soul itself that Corbin renamed the 'Imaginal World'.

There is no indication from Herbert's biography he read any Corbin at all... maybe Alan Watts turned him on - they were close for a time.

One can explore these ideas and more in much greater depths in the writings of Henry Corbin. A good introduction to Corbin are Tom Cheethams' books "Green Man, Earth Angel" and "The World Turned Inside Out".

The early version of Dune published in "The Road to Dune" has the hero originating from the planet "Catalan".

"Catalan" is the language spoken in Catalonia in Eastern Spain. Culturally this region is closely related to Southern France, and thus to medieval Occitania (also known as Provence). This is the region that produced the Troubadours who sang in medieval Provencal (to which Catalan is a closely related language). This fits with Herbert's portrayal of Gurney Halleck as something of a Troubadour.

Occitania in the Middle Ages produced a high culture in the midst of more general European barbarism. It also had links to Islamic Al-Andalus in Spain.

(In "Dune," Manufactured clones of other people using genetic engineering techniques.) While you attribute this word to the Arabic for "ghoul," I always thought the word was derived from the Hebrew "golem." (I don't know either Hebrew or Arabic, and the words may be the same.) For simplicity's sake, I've paraphrased the Wikipedia entry: An animated being created entirely from inanimate matter. In modern Hebrew the word literally means 'cocoon,' also "fool," "silly," or even "stupid." It appears to derive from the word "gelem," which means "raw material." In the Bible, the word refers to an embryonic or incomplete substance: Psalm 139:16 uses the word "gal'mi," meaning "my unshaped form." My impression of a golem is a huge being created from dust and learning everything it knows from its creator, whom I generally assume to be evil, since who else would usurp the power to God to create life from dust?

Your page is wonderful, BTW, and explains much I've often wondered about. Thank you! (And a recommendation: Read Frank Herbert's original "Dunes." Excellent as the movies, etc., are, there's tons more fascination in the novels themselves.

I've been delighted to come across this page, after many years wondering about some of the sources of specific vocabulary in Herbert's _Dune_ series. Thank you for all your manifold efforts!

I did want to add a comment; I won't join the chorus of voices teasing you for not having read _Dune_ and the other works, but I do think that there is valuable reason to do so--many terms that would be of interest to you are simply not included--for good or ill--in the secondary sources that you have drawn upon. (That is not to suggest that your work here isn't magnificent!)

About Alia, one etymology that hasn't been considered is the fairly obvious Latin one; many will be familiar with the Latin phrase _et alia_ ("and others"), although they're probably more used to seeing it as _et al._ in a footnote. "Others" would be a perfect (if cruel) pun on Alia's circumstances, Alia who--as you know--battles unsuccessfully against the others--including the Baron Harkonnen--who threaten to overwhelm her own consciousness.

I'd also like to suggest--in response to the numbers of wondering entries about how a reporter could have amassed such detailed knowledge--that, first, that's part of what reporters do. But beyond that, we do need to keep the facts of Herbert's education in mind; he did take a considerable number of courses at the University of Washington after WWII, and some fairly heady stuff. Some of this has been detected and its influences on his work considered (run, for instance, a Google search on Frank Herbert's sources for _hydraulic despotism_ in the work of Karl A. Wittfogel, the very important German refugee scholar who was at UW for many years), although to identify possible sources does _not_ in any way the extraordinary creative power that Herbert exercised in shaping _Dune_ and the other works (anymore than knowing that there was a Faust legend before Marlowe and Goethe invalidates their works, or knowing any of the sources of Shakespeare's plays lessens their value.)

Now the question: does anyone have an actual source for the interesting notion that Frank Herbert had (I hope I'm portraying this accurately; I don't have time to go back and check the precise wording in these pages) _twelve_ aunts, who were Jesuits? Both (the sheer number; the attachment to a male religious order) give pause.

Thanks again for all your meticulous and thoughtful work, as for that of all the others who have contributed here!

The issue of reading the whole set is time, or rather lack of it. I enjoyed the movie and the TV series, and appreciate Herbert's work, regardless of how flawed these remakes are.

Hope to find time in the future to read them though.

As for how many aunts he had and all being Catholics, this page and this mention they were ten. How authoritative are these pages is something I can't say. This page mentions an appendix (presumably to the novels) that specifically say Catholicism and Islam are precursors to the religious environment for Dune.
--Khalid Baheyeldin

Thanks for the citations to pages suggesting information about Herbert's family. I have to agree with your quiet reservation about how authoritative they might be; for one thing, the second page refers back to the first page as its source for the number of Herbert's aunts; however, neither of them uses language--in description of the supposed _Jesuit_ attachments of Herbert's mother and aunts--that would give much confidence in their reliability.

The third page--on Jesuit associations in science fiction--misreads Herbert's references to the religious text; it's called the Orange Catholic Bible, and it's pretty clear from the range and scope of texts drawn from it in the novels that the "catholic" is probably the etymological catholic (_i.e._, "universal") rather than RC.

Thanks for your very swift response! And now I can go dig through the hard copy material cited in those three pages to find out whether Herbert had ten aunts, forty, two, or none!

An enlightening webpage! Thank you for posting it!
I read Grimm's fairytales as a youth in a cottage beside a large freshwater lake that was an ecological disaster in the 1960's.My family moved to an area with a desert when I was about 15.
I quite enjoyed reading Frank Herbert's fictional work "DUNE" in the early 1990's. I like the film versions too.
I wonder, however, how much of what the author wanted to say is only an unheeded voice in the wilderness of the minds of readers, who like some fans of "The Highlander" television series exalt only in "the quickening" ?

These seem to be the days of the Bakka and not just the financial ones.

"We have to shout above the din of our rice crispies
We can't hear anything at all" - Synchronicity II by Sting and The Police

This is a great glossary. I'm not Muslim but I'm from Malaysia.
We have a lot of loanwords from Arabic so a lot of the words in the Dune series sound familiar to my ear. Frank Herbert's use of words and names from other languages to create a sense of the mystical and alien in English-language works is amazing...it's the kind of thing that sounds tawdry if done by a writer of any less skill. ("exotic Orient" grumble grumble) I was prepared to be annoyed when I started reading Dune and he threw in all the Arab-esque names, but no.

Couple notes:
*The dagger referred to under "Crysknife" is spelt "keris" in Malay and most commonly "kris" in English. They range from a few inches to the length of a short sword.
*I've got a young Muslim cousin named Alia, I don't think she can see the future though... =D

By the way this is very tangential but here's another great website about languages and fantasy fiction. It's a site analyzing the Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese translations of the Harry Potter series. http://www.cjvlang.com/Hpotter/

I thought Dune was one of the most interesting SCI FI books I read many years ago and own the copy.
Sorry for all the Arabics who want to find Frank Hebert actually coping your culture to a work of fiction.
Any well read book can be constured to whatever they believe in. You may be right but you may very well be wrong.
A writer of fiction looks for names, artifacts and events to fall into any portion of the novel.
Just as JK Rowling made up words for her seven novels, Hebert may have done the same. I'm sure some religious nut can find similarities to their culture.
Why not just enjoy someone's exciting imagination?
To bad Hollywood did such a poor rendition twice.